Solomon's Key
(US Gold, 1987)
Reviewed by Chris Lennard

Wealth beyond avarice is yours for the taking in King Solomon's mines, but first you must navigate your way through a labyrinth of monster-filled chambers in this conversion of the Tecmo puzzle arcade coin-op. To proceed, you need to obtain the cunningly placed key to unlock the exit door. Reach it via the blocks that are arranged before you and lay your own to bridge any gaps between you and your goal. However, the monsters can condemn you to fall to your death by destroying the blocks beneath you. Thankfully you can kill them the same way and use fireballs against them that you can pick up along the way, along with reams of bonuses that are littered all around. A rather difficult challenge but a delightful looking game.

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8

Fly the highly sophisticated and well armed fighter jet, the Sonic Boom, engaging it in six different conflicts across the continents of the world. Nothing original in the plot, then; it's another vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up. However, it's quite good, mainly because of the beautiful graphics and the fact that the difficulty level is such that you can complete most of the six levels without too many problems - although it's perhaps a little too easy. There aren't many power-ups to collect - extra firepower is more or less all you can get - but the variety of end-of-level combats you face is interesting.

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8

What sort of a name is Sootland? I don't know, but it's one of those target shooting games where you have to aim your crosshairs at the bad guys before they shoot you. This one is an American western style shooting match, and there are three levels, each with four screens. All you do is scroll between them and find the cowboy popping his head through the scenery - they only appear one at a time, and when you've shot him, you have to find the next one, which means more scrolling. This goes on and on, but you just don't know how many of the bad guys you're supposed to kill. The graphics and sound are both pitiful, and it's such an awful game that it's unbelievable.

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2

All of Sweep's bones have gone missing, so it's the task of Sooty and/or Sweep to search Matthew Corbett's house and collect the bones. You can play on your own or with a friend as either Sooty or Sweep, and there are also two difficulty levels, which control how much time you've got and how many bones there are to collect. Unfortunately, you can only collect one bone at a time and give it to Soo before you can get another one. You'll also need to watch out for the insects flying about the house! The game is clearly one for very young players, as everyone else will find it far too easy - and why are the graphics in monochrome?

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5

After defeating the warlock Krill in Enchanter, you now have your own room in the Circle of Enchanters. But the leader of the Circle, Belboz, has gone missing, and of course, you must find him, or the Circle of Enchanters is in big trouble. The game again consists of exploring the Guild Hall and then exploring the land, gathering scrolls and using them to cast spells. However, this time, you don't have to worry about finding food and drink, and several potions can also be found in the game. The difficulty level is greater than in Enchanter, with a glass maze, and another puzzle involving time travel in which you meet an older version of yourself! I think this is the best of the three games in Infocom's Enchanter series.

See also: Enchanter, Spellbreaker.

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8

This game is the sequel to one of the most famous games on the CPC - Sorcery, widely used by Amstrad to promote the CPC because the graphics were very nice at the time the game was released. The first part is more or less the same as in Sorcery, but it is a bit easier. The real plus of the game is in the second part, in which you have to find four golden hearts to defeat the evil necromancer. The game provides good graphics and fast animation and it is really addictive. It is not too large, so you won't get lost easily, and the difficulty is well balanced. Just a little hint; in the second part, drop the 'roland' statuette into the water (in the 'bridge' room) to get the fourth golden heart.

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9

A computer is still running the planet Nonterraqueous, and a robot with the mind of a man is sent out with a bomb so that the computer can be destroyed. The computer lies within a large maze filled with platforms, and you have to jump to reach them. However, some platforms are higher than others and you'll need to adjust the jumping power of the robot. The thing is, the robot is a bit slow, and with the many monsters about, you'll probably hit one of them and come tumbling back to the floor and maybe lose a life. Before long, frustration sets in after you realise that getting anywhere is too tricky.

See also: Nonterraqueous.

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4

Southern Belle
(Hewson, 1985)

The Southern Belle was a steam locomotive that carried passengers from London's Victoria station to Brighton. This is a realistic simulation which faithfully recreates the 51-mile journey and allows you to take control of this famous train. Although there is a daunting range of controls, you can choose which ones you can manipulate, and leave the computer to work the remaining controls. In addition, there are several runs which vary in difficulty, and in order to pass them, you must achieve a rating of at least 70% overall. Starting with a training run, you can then try to cope with speed limits, maintenance works, stopping at stations, and attempting to beat the record of 48 minutes from Victoria to Brighton. The vector graphics are excellent, and even if you're not a trainspotter, you may find the game to be a nice diversion once you've got the hang of it.

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7

Soviet citizens are being kidnapped on the orders of a dictator from a neighbouring country. The KGB has sent its best agent, Igor, into the country to rescue the hostages. You have to drive around each of the two levels (only two?), collecting the hostages as they run towards your vehicle. Unfortunately the dictator's army is out to get you! You'll be assaulted by a barrage of bombs and bullets, and while you're dodging them, the hostages are being killed; if too many die, the game is over. The graphics are detailed and well drawn, although the rendition of the Soviet national anthem on the menu is mediocre. The game itself is OK, but the constant bombardment that you face makes it very difficult indeed.

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7

Here's an Asteroids clone without any of the playability. Shoot the aliens as they zoom across the screen, while trying frantically to stay out of their way at the same time. It's not easy at all, and if you can survive for two minutes, you're doing really well! My main complaints regarding this game are that the controls are unresponsive and the movement of your spaceship is sluggish, whereas the aliens move much faster than you and are therefore difficult to avoid. The graphics are fairly good, but the game is so frustratingly difficult that you'll want to throw something at your CPC in sheer anger.

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